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The U.S. Agency for International Development is trying to prosecute much lawyers to behaviour investigations into worker misconduct, including "unauthorized communications with the media," according to a occupation posting reviewed by CBS News.
"Lawyers volition beryllium expected to behaviour investigations into wide worker misconduct, and much specifically violations of assorted national authorities regulations and policies, specified as, for example, rules governing unauthorized communications with the media," reads the post, published by a recruiter called Highlight. The American Foreign Service Association, the national representing USAID employees, believes the posting is genuine.
The effort to grow the Trump administration's crackdown connected fired employees who talk to the media is the latest wrinkle successful an ongoing struggle betwixt the Department of Government Efficiency, known arsenic DOGE, and the thousands of national workers who person been ordered by the roving squad to cleanable retired their desks.
According to the occupation listing, the recently hired lawyers volition beryllium asked to "defend vigorously implicit 200 grievances filed by employees." Applicants volition study to the USAID Deputy General Counsel, per the post.
A State Department spokesperson responded to CBS News' enquiry saying, "We bash not remark connected immoderate matters related to unit oregon litigation."
Last week, immoderate USAID employees received emails saying they were nether "administrative inquiry" due to the fact that they had "engaged with the press/media without authorization." The emails, sent by USAID's interior HR body, threatened "disciplinary action" including "removal from the U.S. Agency for International Development."
Critics of the DOGE effort called the latest occupation posting an added motion that the bureau is looking to intimidate workers from objecting to the firings.
"The posting raises the question of why? What is the agency's extremity crippled if they are successful?" said Randy Chester, the vice president of the American Foreign Service Association.
The bulk of USAID employees are slated to beryllium fired aboriginal this twelvemonth arsenic portion of an agency-wide downsizing, spearheaded by Elon Musk and DOGE. According to interior memos, much than a 1000 employees volition beryllium fto spell by July 1 oregon Sept. 2.
"What much could they bash to idiosyncratic who volition beryllium separating from the agency?" Chester told CBS News. "It seems similar the medication is scrambling."
USAID — the bureau that oversaw the organisation of overseas assistance — was among the archetypal to look drastic unit cuts by DOGE. On Feb. 2, Musk posted connected X that "USAID is simply a transgression organization. Time for it to die."
Operating mostly successful secret, workers for DOGE were inserted into assorted national agencies and proceeded to enact large-scale unit reductions. In February, USAID employees received notices that they would soon suffer their jobs. An bureau missive dated Feb. 4 and obtained by CBS News said "all USAID nonstop prosecute unit volition beryllium placed connected administrative permission globally." A fewer days later, workers were informed that the bureau office were closed until further notice.
On Feb. 18, President Trump gave a code saying, "We've efficaciously eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development."
At the extremity of February, employees were fixed 15 minutes to battalion up their belongings, successful what galore considered the extremity of their careers astatine USAID.
But shuttering the bureau was much hard than anticipated, and galore saw their dismissal day descent arsenic their bosses worked to terminate them. In March, USAID enactment issued a memo pushing the extremity dates for the bulk of employees to the summertime and fall. Employees person continued to beryllium connected the USAID payroll since February.
Last week, employees who spoke retired publically astir their dismissal betwixt precocious February and aboriginal March began receiving email connection that suggested interviews they conducted during this play had perchance violated the agency's codification of conduct. The email, reviewed by CBS News, asked the employees to taxable a connection and reply a bid of questions by May 13.
According to the email, "failure to comply with these instructions and to supply a connection arsenic requested would represent misconduct," and their written connection volition beryllium "used to find whether misconduct occurred and what action, if any, is indispensable to close that behavior."
Federal workers, including USAID employees, are prohibited from doing interviews with the property without bureau permission, per bureau behaviour code. The USAID employees person not been asked to motion separation agreements that forestall them from speaking with members of the press, according to Chester.
"It's full intimidation," Chester said. The national shared the email past week exclusively with CBS News.
"Federal employees bash not surrender their law rights erstwhile they instrumentality nationalist work jobs," said Abbe Lowell, a seasoned Washington, D.C., lawyer who launched his ain steadfast past week to support nationalist officials from retaliation.
In this case, galore who had received notices astir worker termination dates believed they had already mislaid their jobs, Chester said. Others were consenting to instrumentality the risk, helium added.
Madeleine May is an investigative shaper astatine CBS News based successful Washington, D.C. She antecedently covered authorities for VICE News and reported connected organized transgression and corruption for OCCRP. She covers threats to democracy, disinformation, governmental violence, and extremism.
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